With a heavy sigh Hongjoong entered his apartment after a long day of work. He had enjoyed the time spent with Maddox working the floor of the store. There had been several customers that bought and showed interest in Hongjoong's designs – which was nice to see for a change, as he normally didn't get to witness the reactions of those buying his clothes. And a couple private orders had been placed. However, Hongjoong wasn't the best at communicating with strangers. He hated small talk. Preferring to remain in the studio working.

He felt drained; tired in a way he hadn't felt in a while. But he also felt accomplished. He felt pride in the work he had done. And for once, his dreams seemed like a reality. It was possible for him to become a designer.

"Appa!" a light voice called out. From the living room Junyoung came running out with his arms stretched up into the air. He hadn't even given Hongjoong the chance to remove his shoes when he threw himself at his appa for a hug.

Hongjoong immediately brightened. He chuckled lightly and lifted Junyoung into his arms happily. "Hi there puppy" he greeted, spinning around slightly with the young boy. "Did you have a good day with uncle Mingi?"

Junyoung nodded "we did. But we didn't get to visit you at the shop like we wanted to" Junyoung informs him.

Mingi stands from the couch, laptop tucked under his arm and gives a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. We had planned to come by but I was swapped with work" he held up his laptop to prove it. The beta, although able to work from home often, still needed complete work online.

"I should be apologizing to you" Hongjoong stated, lowering Junyoung and moving to the living room where Youngseok was laying across the floor with his toys. "I shouldn't expect you to be available so readily for babysitting." He bent down and kissed the top of Youngseok's head in greeting.

"Nah it's fine" Mingi waved the concern away. "I got my work done anyways, so it doesn't matter."

"I'll look into pre-schools for the boys" Hongjoong insisted anyways. "They could do with more friends and the education will be a good start."

"We have friends appa" Junyoung huffed, understanding what his appa meant about pre-school and he didn't like the idea at all.

"Minjae and Sumin" Youngseok perked up at the mention of friends.

Hongjoong smiled softly. "I know they're your friends. I'll ask Hwa what school they go to. Maybe you can all go together," Hongjoong offered up.

"You really don't have to be hyung" Mingi tried to insist. "I'm fine watching them during the week."

But Hongjoong was having none of that. "Don't try Mingi. You know you can't continue your work and hang around here all day with the boys. I've already imposed on you enough. Besides, this will be good for them."

Mingi pouted slightly, which earned a laugh from the elder. "Don't be pouting like one of the pups now" Hongjoong stated. "This has nothing to do with you being unable to care for them. I should've considered schooling back in Anyang too. Plus with them needing more exposure to omegas school could help with that."

"Okay" Mingi mumbled. "I thought your neighbour was going to help by spending time with them?"

"He is" Hongjoong nodded. "And I'm thankful for that. But I can't depend solely on Seonghwa, again that wouldn't be fair to him. Especially when he has three jobs and two pups to keep track of. I can't put mine on him too."

"You could pay him," Mingi shrugged. When Hongjoong shot him a look of disapproval Mingi explained, "you said he has three jobs, so he obviously needs the money. You'll have to pay for a private pre-school anyways since publicly funded ones are few and far between. So why not pay him to watch your pups every day? He gets money, he gets to be home with his own pups every day and yours gets to be with an omega. Sounds like everyone wins for me."

Hongjoong nibbled his bottom lip. He could see the rationale behind it. It made the perfect sense. But again it wasn't something he was willing to risk. Asking Seonghwa to quit a job to specifically work for him? That was far too much to ask.

"Anyways" Mingi changed the topic, noticing that Mingi wasn't going to be comfortable with the discussion continuing. "Speaking of your neighbour, you should maybe check on him whenever you have time."

"What?" Hongjoong's head snapped towards Mingi worry spiked in his scent. "What happened?" he glanced towards their connecting wall, considering going to next door instantly. Was something wrong? Did Seonghwa need help?

"Help" his internal alpha gasped. "Help omega. Omega needs help."

"Nothing that I know of" Mingi raised his hands in defence. "It's just I've been smelling him all day through the walls. His scent is sad. It's been soggy all day. There's nothing specific that I can say. But it yeah, I can tell he's sad." Hongjoong's scent flared, what made Seonghwa feel this way? Did somebody hurt him? "Listen hyung" Mingi added. "I've been here all day and haven't heard anything specific. There's nothing dangerously wrong like that. So you don't need to be rushing over, hell he might not even want that. But yeah, just check in later today or something."

Hongjoong hesitated, but Mingi was right. There wasn't much he could do other than rush to bang on the door. Although Seonghwa might not appreciate that. Maybe it was something he needed to deal with alone. Otherwise he did have San and Wooyoung he could turn to for support. He was certain Seonghwa would feel comfortable enough to go to his pack when in distress.

"Okay" Hongjoong nodded slowly. "Yeah, you're right. I'll check in with him whenever I can."

"Good" Mingi nodded, moving around the apartment to collect his things. "I should get going. Yunho will be back soon. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow" Hongjoong walked Mingi to the door and smiled. "Puppies come say goodbye to uncle Mingi."

"Bye uncle Mingi" Junyoung waved. He had lost interest in the adult conversation and was seated in a large overstuffed chair with a picture book in hand.

"Bye uncle," Youngseok added from his spot still on the carpet.

Hongjoong chuckled lightly and gave Mingi a shrug. That was the best the pups were going to do today. "Bye."

"Bye hyung" Mingi nodded and stepped out of the apartment.

Hongjoong closed and locked the door behind the beta. He took the uninterrupted opportunity to sniff the air. A piece of him hated that his alpha had memorized Seonghwa's scent and could easily pick up on it. The oranges had been wilted, almost as though they had been seated in water for the longest time. A flooded field that could no longer be picked from. He hated it. Hongjoong hated that Seonghwa smelt this way and he didn't know why. Did he have a fight with Wooyoung or San? By the way Wooyoung was talking earlier, that didn't seem to be the case, but perhaps he had read it wrong. Wooyoung was starting his heat, but Hongjoong couldn't understand how that affected Seonghwa.

Maybe something happened with one of the pups. Shit! Could one of them have been hurt? In desperation Hongjoong started searching for the distressed scent of Minjae or Sumin, of possibly curdled milk. But there wasn't any. The pups must be fine. Seonghwa's eomma perhaps? He could still be having difficulties communicating with the elder omega? That was a possibility, but would it really have upset him so greatly?

"Appa" Youngseok pushed himself off the carpet in favour of climbing onto the couch and glancing over the back. "Dinner?"

Hongjoong snapped out of his dream world. Pushing away from the couch he moved towards his pup, tapping him on his nose. "Yes dinner. What do you want?"

Youngseok thought about it, a focused look appearing on his face. After a long day of work Hongjoong hadn't wanted to spend his time cooking – especially considering he wasn't that great of a cook to begin with. Hopefully Youngseok will pick something that they can order. "Pizza?" he questioned.

"Pizza sounds perfect" Hongjoong beamed and ruffled the boy's hair. "Junyoung? How does pizza sound to you?"

"Great appa" Junyoung nodded closing his book.

"Alright" Hongjoong tugged free his phone. Smiling slightly at the crack across his screen he started typing away. Placing his order, he slid it back into his pocket. "How about we play a game together," Hongjoong suggested.

"What game?" Youngseok tilted his head to the side.

"Any game you want" Hongjoong shrugged.

"Princesses?" Youngseok suggested.

"No" Junyoung whined. "We played that earlier with uncle Mingi. Let's play a card game!"

"We play cards with uncle Eden," Youngseok argued.

"The park then" Junyoung offered.

"Sorry puppies" Hongjoong interrupted. "We need to stay here for when the pizza comes."

The two boys sighed dramatically.

Hongjoong chuckled. "How about you both help me with a design I've been working on" Hongjoong suggested. The boys seemed interested in that. "Go take a seat at the table. I'll get everything."

As the boys rushed off to the table, Hongjoong stepped into his bedroom. The room was rarely used for sleeping; primarily it had become a workroom for the alpha. He grabbed several light coloured clothing that he had been collecting over the weeks and his box of fabric paints. Heading back into the kitchen he set everything out. "Can you puppies help me add some hand prints?"

"Hand prints?" Junyoung wondered.

"Yup" Hongjoong nodded. "I want all these jeans to have bright hand prints on them. All the colours of the rainbow. You think you can handle that?"

"Yes appa" Youngseok gave a firm nod.

"Yes appa" Junyoung agreed.

And so, Hongjoong found himself opening the paints and spreading it across his pup's hands. The idea had been flawless. Hongjoong had instantly loved it when he dreamed it up. Custom made white dresses, jeans and dress shirts with handprints painted across it. His vision had specifically been for parents. For those that might look at the clothing and be reminded of their pups at home.

Eden had approved the idea, a couple pieces of clothing set out in the shop. Although the fabric items had not been specifically cut and created by Hongjoong, they were made by other EDENARY members. Items that hadn't sold from last season, or weren't as successful as they would've liked. So Hongjoong decided to reform them. In fact reforming old EDENAERY designed clothing from the inventory was likely one of Hongjoong's new favourite things.

The idea was flawless; the execution of it was not.

Hongjoong, no matter how many crafts he did with his sons, always forgot how messy it could become. Yes, the clothing went as planned, with bright little handprints. However in the process the table became coated with paint, Youngseok had a paint smear across his cheek, Junyoung had some in his hair. And both of the outfits the pups had on were ruined.

Sighing softly, Hongjoong grabbed at a couple paper towels. He tried his best to wipe the paint away from their faces, although it could only do so much. "You are both going to need a nice long bath," Hongjoong stated.

"Why appa?" Youngseok questioned.

"Because you're messy," Hongjoong flashed a small smile. Sure, the mess was a little inconvenient, but it wasn't anything to be too concerned about. Who was he to stand in the way of the pups having fun?

"You're messy too appa" Junyoung giggled.

"I am?" Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows and glanced down to check out his own clothing. He had thought he was being extra careful. The moment he glanced away from his pups both boys took it as an opportunity to jump forward. Their messy, paint covered hands began pressing into Hongjoong's face and hair – just barely missing his clothing.

Most parents would've been furious. Their pups purposefully misbehaved. Not to mention the mess they created. But Hongjoong didn't really care. He found himself laughing along with the pup's silliness. He leaned his cheek into Youngseok's touch, allowing the boy to spread the paint with a giggle.

"How do I look?" Hongjoong stated, leaning away from the pups so that they can view their artwork.

"You look like us," Youngseok giggled, clapping his hands together.

"Well I am your appa" Hongjoong chuckled. "I certainly hope I look like you!"

"Our appa!" Youngseok cheered.

Hongjoong however, didn't miss the way Junyoung's face had fallen slightly, as though the reality was too difficult to bare. Forcing a small smile, Hongjoong reached over and grabbed at the eldest pups hand. "I'm your appa Junyoung" Hongjoong said firmly. "Okay?"

Junyoung remained silent for a moment; still lost in the heavy thoughts no five year old deserved to bear alone. Slowly he nodded. "Okay appa."

Hongjoong have his hand a final squeeze before standing, not wanting the situation to become awkward. "You two go wash your hands for dinner. You can bathe after we eat." Grabbing at the articles of clothing he took them out to dry on the balcony – it was the best place to ensure the pups didn't touch it. It was perfect timing his buzzer sounded just as he was stepping back inside.

"Pizza is here a pup!" Hongjoong cheered. He frowned slightly when he noticed that the kitchen table was in no condition to serve a meal on. Shrugging slightly, it didn't give them much of a choice. He moved into the living room and set the two boxes down on the coffee table. Not even bothering with plates he flipped them open.

"Appa!" Youngseok cheered running into the living room. "Don't eat without us." He plopped himself down on the floor.

"Yeah" Junyoung agreed to come running in behind his brother.

"I wasn't planning on it" Hongjoong chuckled. Grabbing at the pizza he gave each pup a slice of plain cheese to hold onto. The paint had mostly been removed from the hands, although it lingered over their faces and arms. Sitting down crossing his legs, he took a slice of his own pizza filled with toppings. "How was today with uncle Mingi?"

"Good" Junyoung announced taking a bite of his pizza. "He was busy though."

"Yeah working" Youngseok nodded along.

Hongjoong smiled sadly. "I'm sorry he was busy working. And I was too. I wish you could have more fun during the day."

"We had fun" Junyoung insisted with a firm shake of his head. "We played princesses when he had a break."

"Uncle Mingi wore a crown," Youngseok smiled around a large bite of food.

"And we made sandwiches for lunch," Junyoung added. "We got to pick our own toppings and everything."

"And we watched whatever movie we wanted," Youngseok stated.

"Yeah?" Hongjoong leaned forward with interest. "I wish I could watch movies all day with you."

"You could appa" Junyoung nodded excitedly.

Hongjoong chuckled lightly. "Although that would be fun, unfortunately I cant puppy. I need to go to work and pay those bills so I can afford to buy you pizza and plushies."

Youngseok looked to be contemplating that answer. Was his appa being home really worth not having pizza and a plushie? Oh the mind of a three year old. If only it could be that simple.

"We can watch movies now," Junyoung offered.

"Oh I see" Hongjoong barked out a laugh. "Was this all a game to get me to put on a movie?" he gave his head a little shake. Grabbing at the remote he gave in and put on a movie.

"Minions?" Youngseok questioned glancing at his father.

"Hey you just said you wanted a movie" Hongjoong shrugged. "Not which one you wanted. So I get to pick." Both kids knew about their father's love of minions, so they really shouldn't have expected anything else.

"Bananas" Youngseok mumbled under his breath.

Hongjoong sat back, allowing a silence to come across them as they watched the movie. A smile tugged at his lips. It was nice to sit on the ground, eating pizza and watching a movie with his pups. He hated those stickler families that required everyone to be seated around the table talking about tired topics they discussed a thousand times over. He saw nothing wrong with watching a movie and eating junk food.

Youngseok had finished his pizza and was lying on his tummy looking up at the screen. Junyoung was sipping on the Pepsi Hongjoong had given him as a treat. Hongjoong found himself thinking about his neighbour again. What was life like inside the Park apartment? Hongjoong figured it was fairly different from the life they led here. If Seonghwa didn't like the idea of McDonalds, he certainly didn't approve of takeout pizza – hell he probably made it fresh for his pups. And don't even try to eat in the living room. They probably weren't even allowed snacks on the couch. It was probably a house filled with rules. Nothing like how it was for the Kim's.

What was it that San and Wooyoung had said about opposites? They attracted each other? Hongjoong couldn't see it. He couldn't imagine living with someone that didn't allow the occasional living room picnic and a movie. Although he'll admit the home cooked pizza – and other meals – might be nice for a change.

He began to wonder if Seonghwa was a good cook. He insisted on making their meals so that much was obvious. But that didn't mean he was good at it. Maybe he was just as bad as Hongjoong was. Although the alpha highly doubted that. Seonghwa was an excellent cook, Hongjoong just knew it. And that had nothing to do with his status as an omega. Screw society that saying omegas needed to be the ones to cook and clean. Hongjoong figured that Seonghwa was a great cook because he seemed like the type that if he didn't know how to do something he'd learn. Plus the omega had mentioned something about his cooking the other day.

What would Hongjoong have to do to get a taste of his cooking?

"Appa?" Youngseok's voice pulled Hongjoong out from his dream world.

"Hmm?" Hongjoong glanced over at his puppy curiously.

"The movie finished" Youngseok pointed to the screen that had turned black.

"Oh" Hongjoong's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't intended for the pups to watch the entire thing, only about half. But it seemed time got away from him. Grabbing at the remote he shut everything off. "Okay pups" he stood up, brushing the crumbs away. "Time for a bath and straight to bed" he glanced at the clock, "it's getting late."

Grabbing hold of each pup's hand he guided them to the bathroom. Bending to the floor he started the water and added some bubbles. From the corner of his eye he could see Junyoung assisting Youngseok in getting undressed. Once the bath was filled Hongjoong lifted Youngseok in. "nice and warm?" he questioned.

Youngseok gave a small nod, distracted by the pirate ship floating in the water. Hongjoong chuckled slightly and helped Junyoung in as well. Eventually Junyoung would start taking showers separately, but for now Hongjoong was happy he could bathe them both together – saving time and money on his water bills.

With a soft cloth Hongjoong began to wipe at the paint staining the pups skin. Some colours, the pale yellows and pinks washed off fairly easily. But the dark blues and purples were leaving a stain regardless of how hard he scrubbed – although he was nervous about hurting them. "What are you looking at?" Hongjoong raised a curious eyebrow at the two pups that were intent on watching him.

"You" Youngseok giggled, bubbles resting on the top of his head.

"Me?" Hongjoong tilted his head slightly. "What about me?" He ran a hand gently through Youngseok's hair soothingly.

"We love you appa" Youngseok leaned into his hand for comfort. His round eyes peered up at Hongjoong with wonder.

Hongjoong's breath caught in his throat. Of course he knew his pups loved him. At least he liked to believe they did. But the reality of it was he wasn't always around, he was overworking to an extreme, left them with his eomma too often rather than caring for them himself and not to mention he wasn't around when Junyoung was an infant. He had so many faults as a parent that he has spent the past three years trying to improve upon. "You love me?"

"Of course appa" Junyoung laughed. "We've always loved you!"

"Even when I'm busy working?" Hongjoong wondered. Maybe this conversation was too advancing for his pups, they were so young, but he couldn't find the will to stop.

"Yes appa" Junyoung nodded firmly. "We always love you." The pup held out his arms to the man, a smile brimming on his lips.

Hongjoong leaned forward and hugged his eldest, despite the water soaking into his clothes. The past few days had been a little overwhelming to the alpha. From his pups suffering due to his lack of omega to his being away from home due to work. It had felt like he wasn't reaching his full potential as an appa. He held his pup a little tighter than he normally would, pressing his nose into Junyoung's neck for a scent.

"Me too!" Youngseok cried out jumping forward to wrap his wet body around Hongjoong.

The alpha chuckled, wrapping an arm around his youngest and pulling him close. He pressed his face into the younger's neck and breathed in. His scent seemed calmer lately. The softness of milk has returned. Maybe Hongjoong was doing something right.

"Alright that's enough" Hongjoong announced pulling back from the hug. "I think you've both made me wet enough" he chuckled. Grabbing at the cloth he began scrubbing again. "You two are such messy pups!"

"We are not!" Junyoung huffed, crossing his arms in defiance

"Oh I think you are" Hongjoong teased. "Look at all these blue and purple marks from the paint."

"That's the paint's fault," Youngseok argued.

"And who put the paint on your skin?" Hongjoong countered.

Youngseok and Junyoung shared a look between each other. Something passed between, a secret, allowing them to answer together. "You did."

"Me?" Hongjoong gasped. "I did not paint on you!" He dramatically grabbed at his chest in fake offence.

"You gave us the paint," Junyoung said in a calm rational tone.

Hongjoong barked out a laugh. "I did give you the paint," Hongjoong agreed. Tossing them cloth aside he figured that was the best he could do. The rest will be removed overtime with more baths. With their hair and body washed the pups were as clean as they were going to get. One at a time he lifted them out and wrapped a towel around them. "To the bedroom" he ordered tugging at the plug to empty the bath.

The pups ran off to their bedroom, with Hongjoong yelling at them from behind to be careful. Following shortly behind the two he found them in their closet digging around for what to wear. Hongjoong took a seat on his stuffed chair and waited.

"Got it!" Youngseok cheered and headed over to Hongjoong. He held out a rainbow coloured shirt with cloud print pants. Although it wasn't from a match set, they went well together.

Grabbing at the body lotion Hongjoong kept on the table he started massaging it into the pups skin. He flashed a small smile as he rubbed it into Youngseok's tummy, earning a giggle. Taking the clothes he assisted in the pup stepping into them. Finishing off with a quick brush to his soft wavy hair. "Get in bed" he announced, kissing the top of his head. Hongjoong then waved Junyoung over and completed the process again.

"No singing" Youngseok pouted, glancing at his bedroom wall.

"What?" Hongjoong questioned, helping Junyoung climb into bed.

"Eomma no singing" Youngseok whined slightly.

Hongjoong bit his lip to fight back a sigh. Lifting the blankets up around Junyoung's shoulders, he gave the pup a kiss on the head. He then bent down to tuck Youngseok in. "Hwa isn't eomma" Hongjoong reminded him gently.

"He is," Youngseok argued around a big yawn. "He's Minnie and Su-Su's eomma."

"That doesn't make him yours" Hongjoong spoke softly. He wrapped the blankets securely around Youngseok.

"They're my brothers," Youngseok insisted, his eyes drifting shut.

Hongjoong couldn't deny the smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah," he said softly. "They're yours brothers." He bent and pressed a kiss to Youngseok's head.

Hongjoong found himself leaving the pup's bedroom and wandering onto the balcony. He wasn't sure why, but he felt drawn out there. Perhaps a habit. From his pocket he retrieved a cigarette and a lighter. Taking a deep breath he got the first taste of smoke. It felt like it had been days since the last time he had a cigarette.

"Oh" a light voice said from the shadows "I didn't realize you were out here." Stepping out of his own apartment, Seonghwa joined the alpha on the balcony. The omega was wearing a loose pair of jeans and a large purple woollen knitted sweater. Moving towards one of the chairs he took a seat, resting his hand on his thigh clenching a glass of what appeared to be wine in his fist.

"I like to come out here and clear my head" Hongjoong answered taking another drag of his cigarette. Turning his face slightly he breathed away from the omega. Hongjoong was starting to see what Mingi meant about Seonghwa seeming off throughout the day. The alpha had never seen the other drink once.

"Yeah me too," Seonghwa agreed with a small sigh. He lifted the wine glass to his mouth and took a sip. Eyeing the alpha he offered the glass in his direction. "Would you like some?"

Hongjoong eyed the glass curiously. Was Seonghwa offering him to drink from the same wine? Shrugging slightly Hongjoong reached out and took a sip. His eyebrows shot up in curiosity. It tasted good, actually it tasted high quality. Did Seonghwa have a strong preference for wine? To be honest he never expected the omega to enjoy the finer things like this. Not that he assumed Seonghwa didn't drink. Just that he thought it would've been cheaper and harder. Hongjoong didn't mean this in a bad way.

Holding the glass back out Seonghwa happily accepted it for another drink. The wine bottle was safely tucked under his chair for refills should he need it. The omega had seemed fine this morning in the café, but maybe he had been hiding it all along. Or did something trigger the need for drinking? This was the first time Hongjoong had ever since him being other than the picture perfect omega.

"Stressful day?" Hongjoong asked softly. Pushing himself off the balcony railing he took the opened seat beside Seonghwa. With a glance at the omega he lowered the cigarette to the floor and stomp on it. He wasn't willing to risk the smoke reaching the other male in such a close proximity.

"That's an understatement," Seonghwa answered with a deep sigh.

"Something happened at work?" Hongjoong questioned. The wine glass was held out towards him again. Accepting it he took a deep gulp. He couldn't rationalize what would've set the omega off such as this. "Or with your pack?"

"No" Seonghwa shook his head. "Nothing like that" he reached for the wine bottle and lifted it to fill the glass.

"Then what's wrong?" Hongjoong wondered.

"Who said anything was wrong?" Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong curiously.

Hongjoong shrugged. "Nothing needed to be said. It's just obvious." When Seonghwa frowned slightly Hongjoong added, "your scent is like overwatered oranges, kinda soggy, and you're drinking wine. You've never seemed like the type to drink."

Seonghwa sat in silence, drinking the wine slowly. "Today is my wedding anniversary."

And awkward silence fell across the two of them. Seonghwa's wedding anniversary, Hongjoong was not expecting that. He was anticipating a difficult customer that complained their coffee wasn't to their liking, maybe a jerk of an alpha making a Passat Seonghwa on the street or even that one of the pups had been misbehaving. But his wedding anniversary after a broken bond? That was intense.

"At least it would've been" Seonghwa chuckled lightly, twirling the wine around his glass absentmindedly. "But my bond is broken. How pathetic can I be? My bond broke. I broke my bond."

"You didn't break your bond" Hongjoong insisted. He watched Seonghwa reach up and rub gently at the faded bite mark. Impulsive, he stretched his hand out and grabbed Seonghwa, their fingers interlocking together.

"But I did," Seonghwa whined. "My bond is broken because of me. I couldn't keep an alpha, I couldn't keep his interest. I didn't dress sexy enough. I didn't give him enough time. I should've kept my legs shut. He didn't want pups. I knew that. I was lucky he stayed around when Minjae was born. But I should've recognized it was out of obligation. Not because he wanted to be here. I got pregnant with Minjae so he felt the need to stay and get married. Bond with me even though he had never wanted to. And then I go and get pregnant with Sumin. I have another pup that he never wanted. And he left. Do you get that? He left me?"

Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows, "Seonghwa, that doesn't make it your fault. You having pups and wanting a family, that's not something to blame you for. Having pups, it takes two people. You needed an alpha to have both Minjae and Sumin. If he didn't want pups he could've used protection. There were options. And regardless, he still shouldn't have left. Those pups are his, they are part of him. They deserve to have an alpha around that is going to support and guide them. If they cant have that, it's best to have no alpha at all."

Seonghwa laughed lightly, maybe he had a little too much wine after all. "A supportive alpha. An alpha like you."

"L-like me?" Hongjoong's eyes widened.

"You're supportive aren't you?" Seonghwa questioned. "Your omega gave birth, carried your two pups, and you didn't abandon her right? You did what you needed to for your family. You put your pups first and stayed around to be the alpha you knew they needed. That's admirable. I wish my alpha would've been able to do that, to stand with his family."

Hongjoong gave his head a firm shake. "You give me too much credit Seonghwa" Hongjoong insisted.

"I don't think I do," Seonghwa argued. "You put your family first."

"I'm an unmated alpha raising two pups on my own," Hongjoong stated. "That isn't exactly smile upon. Sure, I stayed; I'm raising Youngseok and Junyoung. But does that actually make me a worthy alpha? By society's standards, no, it wouldn't. I didn't bond with their eomma, I couldn't keep her either. I don't see myself better than another. I can recognize my faults and the things I lack."

Seonghwa glanced at him curiously, his eyes gazing over Hongjoong's bare neck. "Why didn't you and the pups eomma mate?" he asked softly. "If you were planning to stick around and raise the pups, why not bond?"

"Their eomma and I weren't mates" Hongjoong shrugged. "We weren't meant to be mates. We were only ever friends. The thought of being something more with her is actually sickening to me. I loved her as my best friend, truly I did. But we would never be anything more than that. When she announced her pregnancy, I stepped up. I took care of the pups to the best of my abilities – and to whatever extent she would allow me. But I knew mating was never in the cards for us. We didn't have that connection."

"But you had sex" Seonghwa mumbled. Perhaps the wine was finally getting to him. He really wouldn't have said anything about it otherwise. Mating was personal. He shouldn't be asking Hongjoong such a question. "You must've felt something for her."

"It's complicated" Hongjoong sighed softly. "Mates was just never going to happen for us, it's not who we were meant to be. And to be fair it had nothing to do with her, she was my friend. I simply know mating isn't for me. I have zero interest in finding a mate. I have never, and will never want that."

Seonghwa nodded slowly. He was surprised by how certain Hongjoong sounded regarding the topic. The alpha knew that mating wasn't for him, he recognized and admitted that. "I wish Woobin would've been like that," Seonghwa mumbled slightly.

"Who?" Hongjoong glanced at Seonghwa.

"Woobin" Seonghwa sighed. "He was my ex mate and husband. I wish he would've had the mentality that you have."

"The mentality of not taking a mate?" Hongjoong raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Seonghwa nodded. "You know that mating isn't for you, but you never allowed that to impact yourself as an appa. You are still engaged in the raising of Youngseok and Junyoung. Maybe if Woobin had the same realization, he would've been more involved with the pup's lives. He mated me out of obligation. I know that perfectly well. So perhaps if he hadn't mated me, the pressure would've been off him. I mean I'm already raising the pups on my own; I could've done it all along. I didn't need him living with us, providing a house; I was fine on my own. But I would've liked him to be involved with the pups, to watch them grow up. For Sumin and Minjae to at least say that they have an appa!

"You knew you didn't want to be mated. I find that actually very mature of you. It prevents the need for a bond breaking. And trust me that is the most painful shit you will ever go through. Feeling that bond burns away, moving forward with the lack of sensation. You get so used to sharing your every thought and emotion with another person, trusting that they can sense when something is wrong. Only for that to completely vanish. You made the mature choice to not put your omega through that."

"You're the first person to have ever thought that" Hongjoong answered honestly. "Most insist that I failed in not mating with Soyoung. Even though they don't know the truth of our history. Society sees an omega and alpha having pups together, and automatically they should be mated."

"Mating doesn't make anything better," Seonghwa sighed. "We are blinded by it. Like it's a fairy tale happily ever after. But that is far from the case. A ring on the finger doesn't make your relationship problems vanish, neither does a bite on the neck."

Hongjoong hummed softly. Pushing his lucky he asked, "why did you get mated then?"

Seonghwa sighed softly "Woobin wanted it, at least he demanded it. He saw it as a society obligation, like you said. So he, despite hating the idea of settling down with me, proposed. He asked me to marry and mate him and I said yes. I guess part of me felt revealed. When I was young, I thought mating meant love. I had a mate that was going to continue loving me till the end of our days. Somebody who I could continue building a family with. I was genuinely excited.

"We planned our wedding and mating ceremony within a couple weeks of the proposal. He didn't want anyone to know I was pregnant until after we mated. Again, I suppose it was another thing about obligations. You weren't supposed to have pups outside of mating. So we had a little wedding ceremony, today, four years ago. We went to the courthouse, signed the papers and then had a little reception at a restaurant. There weren't a lot of guests. My closest family and friends were there and only a couple friends were on his side."

"None of his family came?" Hongjoong wondered.

Seonghwa gave his head a small shake. "No," he answered. "He wasn't very close with them apparently. I suppose that should've been a red flag to me but I overlooked it."

Hongjoong nodded slightly, signalling for Seonghwa to continue.

"We went back to his apartment and he mated me," Seonghwa shrugged. "That was it. Our bond ended two years later when I announced my pregnancy with Sumin."

"He didn't want another pup?" Hongjoong asked.

"He didn't want a pup in general" Seonghwa rolled his eyes. "He saw Minjae as a mistake. One that he had never intended to make again. So when I announced about Sumin, I guessed something in him snapped. He was angry that I made the mistake again. Because he viewed it as my fault, as though an omega can get pregnant without an alpha. I left him that night."

"And the bond broke shortly after that?" Hongjoong questioned.

'Yeah" Seonghwa sighed. "A bond breaking happens so naturally. There's no surgery, no medication, it just happens. You wolves become so disconnected from each other. Physical distance doesn't affect it, hell you could be standing right next to your mate when it happens. And there's nothing that builds up to it. Eventually your wolf simply snaps. It rejects the bond, it rejects it mate. It recognizes the strain you have been under, the way the bond is hurting you. It's almost like a defence. A way of keeping you safe. I've heard cases where mates didn't even know they were in distress with each other, and only realized it after the bond snapped."

"I can't image that" Hongjoong sighed softly. His hand that was still interlocked with Seonghwa squeezed softly. He brushed his thumb across the back of Seonghwa's hand. He wanted to provide whatever small form of comfort that he could.

"It's the worst pain I have ever been through," Seonghwa said. "And I've given birth without pain meds. A bond breaking, I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. That's why I think it's admirable that you recognize not wanting a mate. It means that you aren't risking an omega going through this pain. I wish Woobin had known that before mating me. Truly I do. I never would've mated him. I never want to experience that level of pain again."

"Would you mate again?" Hongjoong asked cautiously. He didn't know why, but his alpha was begging to know.

"Mate? Will they mate?" his alpha was rolling around inside begging to know.

"Yeah" Seonghwa answered without any hesitation. There was a small smile tugging at his lips.  "I would be willing to mate again. I think my omega would know if the bond is meant to be. I wouldn't want it to be with anyone. I would want to be certain about the bonding, but yeah, I think my omega will be able to guide me with that."

"You're going to trust your omega to make the mating decision for you?" Hongjoong asked.

"Exactly" Seonghwa beamed. "I didn't listen to my omega when it came to Woobin. They told me he wasn't a good mate. But I insisted. I ignored my omega's thoughts and feelings. I won't do that again. If I feel like it's time to find another mate, I will follow my omega's indications and guidance."

"We are suppose to be a team with our internal wolves" Hongjoong added, understanding Seonghwa's reasoning.

Seonghwa nodded, "yeah."

A silence fell over the two of them. The glass of wine passed between them as they shared. Hongjoong didn't know what else to say on the topic. If they continued it would start to feel like they were talking in circles. Besides, Seonghwa had gotten his point across perfectly and Hongjoong understood him for it.

"So you drink on your anniversary?" Hongjoong asked nodding to the bottle of wine. "Tradition?"

"Something like that" Seonghwa chuckled, grabbing at the bottle again. It was nearly empty by now. "It's the one day of the year I let myself wallow. I usually don't allow myself to give a shit about my broken bond. This is the one-day I do. Last year Minjae and Sumin spent it with San and Wooyoung, but Wooyoung's heat came early this time. So they've been with me today. Meaning I delayed my wallowing until now." he raised his glass in cheers."

"So Wooyoung's heat was coming," Hongjoong sighed. When Seonghwa gave him a curious look Hongjoong explained. "I ran into Wooyoung this morning. He smelt rather sweet so I figured it was his heat."

"Yeah" Seonghwa nodded, not showing much signs of interest in conversations.

"You got to spend the day with your pups instead," Hongjoong offered up some positivity.

"I did," Seonghwa nodded again. "Actually you'd be pleased to hear I ordered them from McDonalds for dinner. I was too lazy to cook for them."

"McDonalds?" Hongjoong raised an eyebrow. "I can't picture you eating McDonalds."

"Oh I didn't have any," Seonghwa shrugged. "Just ordered it for them."

"Well what did you eat?" Hongjoong frowned.

"Nothing," Seonghwa answered, as though it was obvious.

"Nothing?" Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows. "You haven't eaten anything for dinner?"

"More like all day," Seonghwa explained.

"All day?" Hongjoong gasped. "And you're drinking? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Of course not," Seonghwa giggled, feeling slightly dizzy. "I'm not that stupid."

"You seem pretty stupid to me" Hongjoong grumbled.

Hongjoong seemed to have said the wrong thing, accidentally. Seonghwa's eyes swiftly filled with tears, turning red as he snapped over to look at the alpha. His oranges wilted once again. A sure sign he was in distress. Hongjoong was taken back, his own eyes widening in disbelief. Was Seonghwa about to cry? What happened? What did Hongjoong do? He had said a lot worse than teasingly calling Seonghwa stupid.

"What's wrong?" Hongjoong wrapped an arm around Seonghwa's shoulder. Screw his dislike for skin ship. He held onto the omega, slightly squeezing the side of his arm. "Why are you crying?" his voice softening.

"I'm a stupid omega," Seonghwa whimpered. He was looking down at his feet, swinging them back and forth slightly like a sad little pup needing a distraction. He sniffed, tears rolling down his cheeks.

The drinking had certainly gotten to him at this point. There was no way he was sober any longer. Never had he been affected this way by teasing before.

"You're not a stupid omega" Hongjoong reassured him. His other arm came up around Seonghwa, pulling the omega into a tight hold against his chest. He held onto him and started to rub his hand soothingly up and down his arms.

Seonghwa lightly brushed his nose against the alpha's neck. Normally Hongjoong would've flinched away, but he found himself relaxed, comfortable with the feeling of Seonghwa nosing at him. The omega moved across the alphas scent gland, breathing in deeply at the eucalyptus.

Hongjoong impulsively added, "You're a good omega." He had hoped that it would have a positive reaction on the omega, giving him a reason to feel good about himself. However much to his surprise yet again, it only increased the omegas' tears.

"I'm a good omega," Seonghwa begged. "I'm a good omega." His hand reached up and grabbed at Hongjoong's shirt, his fingers curling around it. His tears increased, a deep whimper sounding. He pressed his face into Hongjoong's chest crying, the fabric getting soaking wet. "I can be good, I promise," Seonghwa cried out. "I'll be a good omega."

"You already are a good omega" Hongjoong struggled with reassuring him. He held him tight, releasing another wave of pheromones to sooth him the best he can. He allowed Seonghwa to rub against his scent gland. Hongjoong was aware that they were essentially scenting each other, and act that was typically considered intimate between pack and mates. In fact the alpha couldn't recall the last time he had been scented by somebody other than the pups. But he couldn't find himself disliking the feeling. Seonghwa's oranges were nice and scent. He liked the feeling of smelling it against his skin.

"I'll be good" Seonghwa started to breathe deeply. "I'll cook for you alpha, any food that you want I will prepare for you. I'll clean the house; you never have to worry about any of those silly chores. I'll carry and birth as many pups as you want alpha, I promise you can breed me as many times as you please. I'll raise our pups well; they will be smart and strong alphas just like you always wanted. My body belongs to you to mount whenever you please. You can have your way with me in whichever position you choose."

"Woah" Hongjoong's eyes widened. "Seonghwa" he breathed out, giving Seonghwa's back a firm rub, trying to snap him out of it. "You're okay, it's okay. You don't need to say these things to me Seonghwa."

"I'll behave. I promise I will alpha," Seonghwa continued, his head practically spinning at this point. "I won't talk back. I'll listen to you. I'll do as you say. I won't make eye contact. I'll be unnoticeable. I'll be silent." He was hyperventilating. His breathing had greatly increased in speed and shortening into quick gasps. His scent had spiked. The tears were rolling in heavy waterfalls. Hongjoong could practically hear Seonghwa's heart beating fast and held him tight to calm the shivers going down his body.

"Omega" Hongjoong breathed deeply. He needed Seonghwa to calm down. This wasn't safe for the omega; the distress scent was bound to be notice soon. The alpha bent his head slightly, brushing his lips across Seonghwa's ear. "I need you to listen to me now omega. Can you listen to alpha?" he knew he was playing a dangerous game. There was no guarantee this direction was going to be successful. And playing into the omega's belief that Hongjoong was in fact his alpha could cause imprinting or attachment.

"Yes alpha" Seonghwa forced the words out. He was still shaking, but his body was at least pressed into Hongjoong's and he was taking in the scent that was sure to assist him.

"Take slow deep breaths" Hongjoong coached him lightly. "In and out. Nice and slow for me okay?" He observed Seonghwa attempting, the omega in him wanting to please Hongjoong. But the breathes for shaky and changed in speed. "Breathe with me" Hongjoong altered his suggestions. Perhaps doing it together would help. Grabbing onto Seonghwa's sweaty hand, Hongjoong guided it towards his own chest, resting it over his lungs. "Feel it," he ordered softly. Slowly he took in a couple deep breaths. "Do it with me" he repeated. He interlocks his fingers with Seonghwa, squeezing them in reassurance.

It took several more attempts, but finally Seonghwa started breathing in time with Hongjoong. Although his heart had stopped racing, he still hadn't completely settled. "I'll be good," he whimpered. "I'll be a good omega for you alpha. I'll be good. Just don't leave me. Please don't leave me alpha."

"Smell me" Hongjoong ordered, changing direction. He needed Seonghwa to recognize whom he was speaking with. He wasn't with Woobin. He needn't beg for his alpha to remain with him. He lightly guided Seonghwa back up to his neck, letting him breath in the soft, calming eucalyptus. Hongjoong didn't actually believe his aroma was very relaxing, it had never soothed Youngseok before. But perhaps this time would be different. "What do I smell like?"

"Hmm?" Seonghwa hummed, moving his nose against Hongjoong's scent gland.

"What do I smell like?" Hongjoong lightly pressed the back of Seonghwa's head, encouraging him to nuzzle deeper against his neck.

Seonghwa's nose pressed hard against Hongjoong's neck, his lips practically resting on his scent gland. He took in several deep breaths of air, taking in everything Hongjoong had to offer. "The beach" Seonghwa gasped out lightly.

"The beach?" Hongjoong slowly moved his arm downwards, wrapping it instead around Seonghwa's waist. His palm brushed against the exposed skin.

"Yes alpha" Seonghwa nodded, his hair rubbing against Hongjoong's cheek. "There are soft spices, eucalyptus and oranges. It smells fresh and like the sunshine. You're the beach alpha."

"The oranges is because of you" Hongjoong spoke softly.

"Me?" Seonghwa stated in awe. "I smell like oranges?"

"You do" Hongjoong nodded. "The sweetest of oranges. Like an orchard."

"You let me scent you?" Seonghwa questioned, disbelief laced in his voice. "My alpha never lets me scent him."

"Look at me Seonghwa" Hongjoong coached. He could sense that Seonghwa was coming out of his trance, reclaiming control over his omega. When Seonghwa nuzzled closer to Hongjoong's neck, he shook his head in shyness. "Look at me omega" Hongjoong tried again. "You can do it."

Seonghwa, his fingers grabbing tight at the front of Hongjoong's shirt looked up at the alpha. His eyes were bloodshot, dried tears staining his face. His gaze moved across Hongjoong's face, taking him fully in. slowly realization came to him. His eyes widened slightly. With his omega completely calmed now, he was able to recognize Hongjoong and his individual scent. "Hongjoong" he whispered.

"Yeah" Hongjoong answered.

"W-what?" Seonghwa questioned, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Your internal omega decided to pay me a visit" Hongjoong responded simply. It had taken him a few minutes since the start of Seonghwa's panic attack to recognize the male was no longer in control, but rather his internal omega was. The omega had pushed through during Seonghwa's weak moment to display his biggest fears – that the omega wasn't enough.

"Oh my gosh" Seonghwa flinched away from Hongjoong. He raised his hands to cover his beat red face. "I am so sorry,' he gushed. "That is so embarrassing I can't believe it." displaying your internal omega or alpha, giving them full control, was rare and was often only during mating ceremonies. "I am so sorry."

"Hey it's fine" Hongjoong tried to reassure him. "You didn't even saying anything bad. It's seriously fine. You only cried a little. Nothing too embarrassing."

"Nothing embarrassing?" Seonghwa gasped. "I cried! God I'm such an ugly crier too! My face gets all scrunched up and my eyes turn bloodshot. I'm a blubbering mess with tears and whimpers. How is that not embarrassing?"

"You should be when I cry" Hongjoong shrugged. "I can't even stay standing. I always need to kneel on the floor."

Seonghwa rolled his eyes. "At least you don't soak someone's shirt with your tears and snot," he pointed towards Hongjoong's shirt that had several large stains on it.

"It's whatever" Hongjoong shrugged glancing at the marks. He turned slightly to Seonghwa. "Are you feeling any better at least?"

The omega leaned his head back against the wall, taking a few deep breaths to gather his thoughts completely. "Yeah" he responded. "I'm fine."

Hongjoong offered a small smile. Although Seonghwa's scent was starting to even back out, it still had a long way to go to being steady. He knew the omega was lying about being okay. He was still emotional, still struggling. "Did you want to head in? Maybe you should get some sleep." Hongjoong nodded towards the balcony door to Seonghwa's apartment to indicate what he meant.

Seonghwa glanced back at the door and quickly started to shake his head. "No," he insisted. "I'm not tired. I think I'll stay out here a little longer."

Hongjoong considered how to respond. He could get up and leave Seonghwa there alone, the omega might benefit from it. However, he also figured the last thing Seonghwa likely wanted was to be on his own. He nodded slowly and pushed himself up from his seat. "Okay. Can you wait here? I just want to grab a few things."

"What?" Seonghwa furrowed his eyebrows.

"I'll be right back," Hongjoong promised, already slipping into his own apartment. He moved to the bedrooms to check quickly on the pups. Youngseok had remained in his own bed so far, curled up in a little ball. Having kicked the blankets away, Hongjoong paused for a moment to raise them and tuck it under the boys chin. Stepping back out of the room, content that everything was in order, he moved across the hall to his own room. Swiftly he changed into a pair of worn sweatpants and an old sweatshirt. If he was going to be sitting outside in the cold autumn weather, he will be doing it in comfort.

Returning to the living room he grabbed his bag that contained his laptop and the pizza box with the half uneaten leftovers. At the last second he also tossed the blanket from the back of the couch over his shoulder. With all that, he headed back out to the balcony.

"You came back" Seonghwa glanced towards him, with sad round eyes.

"I promised I would" Hongjoong flashed a smile, feeling like he had already had this conversation with the omega before. Placing the pizza box on the empty chair, he tossed the blanket to the ground.

"What's all that?" Seonghwa asked, eyeing the contents curiously.

"That" Hongjoong pointed to the blanket, "is a blanket. And that is a pizza" he pointed to the pizza box.

"You ordered pizza?" Seonghwa tilted his head slightly to the side in confusion.

"Well not right now" Hongjoong chuckles. "But I did earlier for dinner." He knelt down and spread the blanket out nicely before retrieving his laptop from his bag.

"You gave your pups pizza for dinner?" Seonghwa made a face at the thought of the deep fried greasy food.

Hongjoong clicked his tongue and shot the omega with a pointed look. "You gave yours McDonalds," he countered.

"Fair enough" Seonghwa huffed with a light pout to his lips.

"Okay come sit" Hongjoong grabbed at the pizza book and pulled it down on the blanket.

"You want me to sit on the ground?" Seonghwa raised an eyebrow.

"No" Hongjoong chuckled. "That's what the blanket is here for." He reached over and grabbed Seonghwa by the wrist, with a slight tug, ensuring he wouldn't hurt the elder; he guided him to the ground. Hongjoong flipped open the pizza box "eat as much as you want" he stated. Sure he intended to save the leftover cheese pieces for the pup's lunch tomorrow but that's okay, he'll leave some soup to heat up. He turned on his computer and started typing away. "Want to watch a movie?" he suggested.

Seonghwa lifted a slice of pizza to his mouth and was mid-bite. His eyes widened slightly realizing Hongjoong was talking to him. Pulling the pizza back he raised his hand to cover his mouth. "Can we watch a k-drama?"

Hongjoong felt a smile tugging at his lips slightly. "You like k-dramas eh?'' When Seonghwa gave a sheepish nod, Hongjoong scrolled down to the drama section. His eyes gazed over the titles. It wasn't that Hongjoong had anything against dramas in particular; he simply didn't have time to watch anything. If he wasn't with the pups, he was working and if he wasn't working he was sleeping.

"Oh" Seonghwa smiled, pointing at the screen. "Imitation!"

"Hmm?" Hongjoong glanced at the display photo.

"It's about the idol industry," Seonghwa explained. "I've been meaning to watch it! There are a couple members of a 4th generation group in it. I think it's supposed to be good."

Hongjoong nodded. He was pleased to see the little excitement Seonghwa displayed, so naturally he selected the drama. Leaning back against the wall he got settled in. He grabbed at a single slice of pizza so that Seonghwa wouldn't feel left out in eating alone. Out of the corner of his eye Hongjoong noticed Seonghwa taking several bites of the pizza, however he would occasionally lift the wine bottle to his lips.

The alpha fought back a frown. He thought Seonghwa had finished the bottle by now.  Holding out his hand he requested the bottle. Seonghwa understood the request and handed it over. Raising it to his lips Hongjoong consid89ered the weight. It was nearly full, a new bottle. Seonghwa must've gotten it when Hongjoong was grabbing his laptop. Not that Hongjoong was judging, he was a grown man. Seonghwa could drink as much as he wanted. Hell, Hongjoong had his own bad habits – smoking being one of them. So long as the pups didn't see Seonghwa drinking or drunk, he figured it was fine.

"That was supposed to be me," Seonghwa pointed towards the character of Seyoung.

"You were supposed to play Seyoung?" Hongjoong stupidly asks.

Seonghwa chuckled slightly, humourless, almost as though it was painful. "No, not Seyoung," Seonghwa explained. "Just in general. I should've been in k-dramas. I was supposed to be an actor."

Hongjoong's face softened slightly. He shifted closer to Seonghwa, feeling drawn to the omega. Their legs pressed against each other in a tangled mess. "You had been taken acting, before Minjae was born right?"

"I was yes," Seonghwa nodded. He leaned against Hongjoong. Slowly his head came to rest absentmindedly against the alphas shoulder.

"You graduated right?" Hongjoong wondered.

"Barely" Seonghwa mumbled. "But I did. Took an extra year to catch up, and lots of support from my pack. I did it though."

"That's really impressive" Hongjoong's scent spiked with pride.

"I never got to act though," Seonghwa sighed. "Went to school for basically nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing" Hongjoong insisted.

"Yeah sure" Seonghwa rolled his eyes, although Hongjoong couldn't see it.

"Why didn't you act?" Hongjoong questioned. "I am certain that you could be an actor if you wanted to be. Go to some auditions, get some roles. What's stopping you?"

"I wanted to, '' Seonghwa sighed. He pressed deeper against Hongjoong's side. It almost felt like he was looking for support. "I had dreamed of it, but Woobin didn't want me working. He didn't even want me to finish school."

"Woobin your ex mate didn't want you to work?" Hongjoong frowned.

Seonghwa slowly nodded, his head brushing against Hongjoong's chin. "He believed that a mated omega should be home, supporting the family by raising pups. He was very old fashioned. Perhaps if I had been interested in another career, he would've been more lenient... but acting, he was determined it wasn't a suitable position for me."

"What the hell is wrong with acting?" Hongjoong snapped. "And who is he to judge if it's the right fit for you or not?"

"He's an actor, '' Seonghwa responded. "Kim Woobin. He worried about having a mate in the spotlight, about how we might be noticed together and our connections realized. He didn't want his fans to know he was mated... that I can understand I suppose. He is more likely to receive roles as a single alpha; it's part of the appeal. Plus more fans. But yeah, he insisted he was looking out for me. That it was better for me. I mean there were the occasional comments about how I couldn't handle it. That I was too weak for the industry."

Hongjoong furrowed his eyebrows. Rationally he knew he should've responded to how Seonghwa would make a great actor, that he could handle it. However he was stuck on the mention of the name. "Did you say Kim Woobin?"

"Yeah" Seonghwa pulled back slightly to look at the alpha. "Do you know any of his dramas? I tend to avoid them to be honest."

Hongjoong barked out a laugh. "You wont believe this' ' he grabbed at the bottle of wine and took a large drink. "Kim Woobin stole my design when I was sign under KQ."

"He stole your designs?" Seonghwa frowned slightly.

"Yup" Hongjoong nodded. "There were announcements made about actor Kim Woobin signing as a designer under KQ. I have genuinely no idea who the dude is; I don't really care to be honest. But when I saw the presentations of the design, I recognized them as my sketches. I assume the company gave them to him. Either way, I sued the company and it became this huge thing in the media. The blame was shifted to me. Of course it was. I was an alpha with one lawyer from Anyang. KQ and Woobin had an entire legal team. I didn't stand a chance. I've been blacklisted from the fashion industry since then, until Eden took a chance on me."

"Woobin stole your designs?" Seonghwa repeated. "Do you think it could be the same Woobin?"

"How many actors by the name of Kim Woobin do you know?" Hongjoong snickered. "Especially Woobin's that will act like that much of a dick."

Seonghwa chuckled weakly. "I suppose not many." The omega sighed heavily, taking a large drink of the wine. "I can't believe my ex mate screwed multiple people over." He giggled lightly, the wine getting to him again. "At least I got physically screwed. That was a nice little bonus. I got something out of it. Whereas you get nothing."

Hongjoong smiled weakly, reaching over to take the wine bottle. Offering another slice of pizza instead. "For what it's worth Seonghwa, I think you'd make an excellent actor. You could be the greatest star ever seen in a k-drama. And I really do mean that. My hyung is an actor. If he can pull it off, anyone can."

"Your hyung is an actor?" Seonghwa glanced at Hongjoong with interest.

"He is yes, ' Hongjoong nodded. "At least he wanted to be. To be honest I'm not sure if Hyunjoong ever made anything out of himself. He left home after... some personal situations came to light. Hasn't had much contact with him since to be honest. Last I heard he was coming to Seoul to achieve his dreams of becoming famous."

"Kim Hyunjoong?" Seonghwa appeared to be considering the name. With a small shake of his head he frowned. "Sorry, I've never heard of an actor by that name. And I know a lot of actors. Especially k-drama ones."

Hongjoong shrugged the apology away. "It's whatever. I don't think any of my family would actually be surprised. Especially after the way he treated the people that loved him."

"What did he do?" Seonghwa asked curiously, without my thought.

Glancing at the elder, Hongjoong's hand wrapped around Seonghwa's waist, tugging him close. "I'll tell you eventually, '' he said. He gently gave a squeeze to the omegas waist. "But not now.'' He wasn't sure why he was suddenly agreeing to open up with the omega, telling him a personal aspect of his life. Perhaps this was simply an in the moment feeling. He probably won't follow through.

Seonghwa nodded slightly, letting the topic drop. He leaned deeper against Hongjoong's side. His head rested on his shoulder, legs tangled together. His eyes started to drift shut slightly. Breathing in deeply he took in the scent of eucalyptus. Why would Hongjoong ever consider that his scent wasn't calming? How could he have those thoughts when it was practically lulling the omega to sleep.  

The elder reached for the bottle of wine again, feeling like he needed the distraction, but Hongjoong moved it away. Seonghwa released a deep whine, reaching for the bottle again, only for Hongjoong to move it further out of his grasp. "Why?" Seonghwa complied.

"I think you've had enough" Hongjoong stated.

Seonghwa released another whine, "no I didn't." he reached out for the drink. With a groan of determination Seonghwa shifted up from his cuddled position with Hongjoong. He threw his leg over Hongjoong's waist, half climbing over his, reaching for the bottle. Resting his free hand on Hongjoong's shoulder for support, their chest practically pressed together. It wasn't the best image to display, Seonghwa straddling Hongjoong.

The alphas hand came up to rest on Seonghwa's exposed hip, holding him in place. Hongjoong was in a daze. Maybe tomorrow when his mind is cleared, he'll realize the position they had been in. but for now, he was in the moment. The now sweet oranges surrounded him. Not to mention the feeling of Seonghwa's hips pressed against his own – it had been far too long since he last felt this sensation.

"Give me" Seonghwa whined, leaning forward for the bottle, pressing deeper into Hongjoong.

"Hmm?" was Hongjoong's response. He couldn't formulate actual words. His sense was beginning to cloud over. This caught Seonghwa's attention.

The omega finally tore his gaze away from the wine in favour of looking down at Hongjoong. His mouth opened with small surprises, recognizing how they were positioned.  A deep blush came across his cheeks, but he didn't move. He glanced down at Hongjoong, nibbling lightly on his bottom lip.

Hongjoong lowered his arm, setting the bottle of wine aside in favour of grabbing Seonghwa's other hip. Gazing at him, he held the elder in place. He tilted his chin up, moving his face closer to Seonghwa.

Seonghwa, after a hesitant moment, began to lean in, entering the space of Hongjoong's relaxing aroma.

"Eomma?" a soft voice called from the balcony doorway.

"Oh shit" Seonghwa cursed. Heightened by the surprise he rolled off Hongjoong, failing to steady himself, his shoulder slammed into the ground and he let out a dramatic groan.

"Eomma?" Minjae repeated, pulling open the door.

"I'm fine puppy" Seonghwa sat up quickly. "Oh dizzy" he grabbed at his head before releasing a little giggle. He was obviously still drunk. Pushing himself up off the floor, he stumbled while getting into a standing position.

Hongjoong was quick to respond, not wanting the pup to see his parents in this state. He wrapped an arm around the man, offering him support. He struggled slightly with playing it off as natural, trying not to raise questions. Seonghwa leaned against the alpha heavily.

"Eomma okay?" Minjae questioned, his eyes going towards Hongjoong instead.

"Of course" Hongjoong tried to rationalize, but much in vein.

"I'm going to be sick, '' Seonghwa mumbled. He pushed himself off Hongjoong and moved past Minjae – likely running off to the nearest bathroom.

Hongjoong stood stunned for a moment. Seonghwa had drunk a lot more than he had originally thought. He glanced down at the lost little puppy. Minjae gazed at him with sad and confused eyes. Hongjoong jumped instantly into appa mood. Stepping forward he lifted Minjae into his arms. "And why are you awake puppy?"

"Needed to pee" Minjae mumbled, leaning his head against Hongjoong's shoulder.

"Did you go to the bathroom yet?" Hongjoong questioned, stepping into the Park's apartment without second thought.

Minjae gave a small nod of confirmation. "Saw you outside." He explained.

"Ah and you wanted to come see eomma and me" Hongjoong filled in the blanks. He moved deeper into the hallway, hoping that the layout was the same as his own apartment. Passing by a door that was closed, Hongjoong could hear Seonghwa vomiting what was hopefully into the toilet. Going to the next door he pushed it open with his foot and found the two child sized beds. Considering Sumin was tucked safety into one, Hongjoong assumed the empty one was Minjae. Carrying him to the bed he set him down and tucked him in.

"Eomma okay?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah puppy" Hongjoong rubbed Minjae's chest soothingly. "Eomma is okay. Just feels a little sick. You get sick sometimes too right?"

"Sick is no fun," Minjae sighed.

"That's right" Hongjoong agreed. "Sick is no fun." He moved his hand to run his fingers through Minjae's hair soothingly. "I'll be right back okay?" he stated, before stepping back. The pup seemed hesitant, but let the man go nonetheless.

Hongjoong exited the bedroom, walked past the bathroom without a second glance and stepped out onto the balcony. He began to collect his stuff, the garbage, blanket and laptop, all safely tucked into his as he stepped into his own apartment. He was perhaps rushing, but he didn't want to leave Minjae alone too long, and he still needed to check on Seonghwa. Tossing everything onto the couch he headed down his little hallway.

Stepping into his own pup's room, he found both of them to be fast asleep. Although he was thankful his pups were such heavy sleepers, it did make the next step a little difficult. It had been a year or so since he last had to carry the two pups together, favouring one walking beside him. But that wasn't currently an option. Starting with Junyoung, he bent slightly by the bed and lifted Junyoung onto one hip, instantly feeling the weight. One pup down, one more to go.

Moving to Youngseok's bed, he took extra care in lifting the boy. It was a balancing act, not the easiest in terms of weight, but it was all right. Hongjoong couldn't understand how people had twins – that was certainly not for him. Having to handle everything twice? Balance all the tasks? Feeding, dressing, carrying all had to be doubled.

With both pups in arms now he exited the bedroom. They were both still fast asleep, Youngseok slowly drooling on Hongjoong's neck. Slowly and carefully he headed out through the balcony, closing the door the best he could, and entering the Park's.

Heading straight into the pups room without hesitation. Moving to the beds, he carefully set Youngseok down first next to Minjae, turning to set Junyoung next to Sumin.

Minjae, who was still fighting to stay awake, gazed at Youngseok. "Youngie?" he asked.

Hongjoong offered up a small smile. "You puppies get to have a sleepover tonight," he explained. Lifting the blanket over both, he tucked Minjae and Youngseok in together. He watched as Minjae automatically shifted closer to Youngseok. He wrapped his small arm around the other's waist and snuggled into him. Hongjoong found himself wanting to coo at the sight. There was something cute about seeing the way the two were naturally drawn to each other, like an external force pulling at them.

The downside was the way Hongjoong's alpha was rolling around begging for another puppy of its own. Which was not going to happen. Hongjoong was done with the two he had.

Turning slightly he did the same for Junyoung and Sumin. The two weren't cuddled together the way the others were. They were still drawn together though, having turned to face each other. Lifting the blanket he tucked it around their shoulders carefully. "Don't stay up too late chatting" Hongjoong teased Minjae with a nod towards Youngseok. Stepping back he left the room.

With the pups settled for their sleepover Hongjoong turned his focus of attention to Seonghwa. Softly he knocked on the bathroom door. "Seonghwa?" he called out softly. "Can I come in?" he heard a mumbled response that he couldn't fully understand. He took the chance of the answer being a yes, and pushed the door open.

Stepping inside found Seonghwa on his knees holding tightly to the toilet. His hair was plastered against his forehead due to the amount he was sweating. His head rested against his arm weakly. "Everything hurts," he mumbled weakly. He looked pathetic.

Hongjoong signed, reaching over to flush the toilet. "Come on Seonghwa '' he wrapped an arm around the omega and lifted him up. "Let's get you settled into bed," he stated. Supporting the omega's weight he considered pausing at the sink for him to brush his teeth, but Seonghwa didn't seem up to that. And there was likely going to be more vomiting to come.

Instead he grabbed a washcloth and dampened it. Gently he began swiping it across Seonghwa's face, wiping the sweat away from his forehead and pushing his stray hair back in the process. Slowly he rubbed across Seonghwa's eyes, ensuring he was careful, before finishing with his mouth.

"Let's get you to bed" Hongjoong tossed the cloth at the edge of the tub. "How does that sound?"

"Good" Seonghwa mumbled. "My head hurts though," he stated with a frown.

"It's going to hurt for a while," Hongjoong stated. Supporting Seonghwa he guided him across the small hallway to Seonghwa's room.

To say, it wasn't how he imagined it would be an understatement. Hongjoong had expected a barren room, white or creams, with simple sheets and a soft chair here or there. Instead it was busy. There were shelves against walls, filled with girl group albums and figurines. The bed was pushed against the wall to make more room for a mini couch and a desk each against different walls. It was mismatched in every possible way. But it fit Seonghwa perfectly. It was bright and busy. It had softness to it, but also was in control. It was everything Hongjoong figured Seonghwa was like.

Guiding him to the bed Hongjoong helped him lie down. Tugging at the single blanket Hongjoong covered him. Glancing around something caught his attention. The lack of a nest. There was a couple blankets, one or two old ones. However it wasn't overly done the way Hongjoong expected it to be. Seonghwa struck him as the type of omega to have a large overstuffed nest. This one was nearly barren. Why? Grabbing the could of stray blankets the bed did contain he put them around Seonghwa, to form a nest like shape.

"Thank you" Seonghwa grumbled, turning his head into the pillow tiredly.

"You're welcome" Hongjoong answered softly. "I'm going to be in the living room alright? On the couch. If you feel sick again or need anything just call for me."

"You're staying?" Seonghwa questioned, his eyes half closed.

"If that's okay with you" Hongjoong responded. He was essentially inviting himself over into an unmated omega's apartment. He knew it was considered inappropriate, but he wanted to ensure the omega was properly cared for. Somebody needed to watch out for Seonghwa. So what if it was his alpha instincts telling him he needed to care for the omega?

"Care" his alpha howled. "Omega needs care."

"Yeah" Seonghwa breathed out. "That's fine."

"Good" Hongjoong whispered. Stepping back from the bed he moved towards the doorway, pausing slightly. Standing, leaning against the door, he gazed slowly over Seonghwa. The omega that always appeared so calm and judgemental had just spent his night recklessly drinking and eating extra cheesy, greasy pizza. To see his busy room with a lack of a nest that Hongjoong hadn't been expecting. Communicating about Seonghwa's ex and the way he had been affected about with the bond not only since the breaking, but also during their relationship. Hongjoong was starting to see the different sides of Seonghwa – no, that wasn't right. Seonghwa wasn't split into different parts. The alpha wasn't seeing different parts of the omega; he was seeing the male in his entirety. He was experiencing every aspect that made Seonghwa his authentic self. And he found that he liked it, seeing Seonghwa for who he was.

Perhaps Hongjoong wanted to learn even more about the omega.

But that could wait until tomorrow.

For now, Hongjoong needed to rest. Exiting the room, closing the door slightly behind him, he headed back to the living room. Grabbing at the spare blanket he laid across the couch. Thankfully for his shortness, Hongjoong found that he fitted perfectly, getting comfortable. Pulling the blanket close he breathed in the sweet scent of oranges.

Surrounded by a sweet aroma and warmth of family was something Hongjoong could get used to.